And Even More Gracie's Saiyuki Drabbles
by Grace Musica
Summary: The fourth collection of drabbles written for the 100roadtrips LJ community. WARNING: Some of these drabbles may contain offenseive couplings, subject matter, language, et cetera.
1. Sleep Deprivation

Title: Sleep Deprivation  
Date Written: 9/7/05  
Word Count: 100  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Hakkai, Gojyo (can be seen as slash or friend, you choose)  
Notes: Inspired by psych class (which scares me). Quote at the beginning from Shakespeare's Hamlet.  
---  
_"...To sleep, perchance to dream..."_

Hakkai needed sleep, but he couldn't.

Hakuryuu could go for a while yet, and there was a full moon.

There was no other option. Sanzo'd be royally pissed if they hadn't made any progress given these providences.

The brunette was starting to hallucinate in his peripheral vision; and growing quite paranoid as well, given the imagined, blurred shapes darting in and out of the fringe of his vision.

"You're gonna crash if you keep this up."

Hakkai ignored Gojyo, blinking furiously.

"Lemme drive, man. You need sleep."

The jeep stopped briefly, drivers switching before starting up again.

"Thanks, Gojyo."

"Anything for you, 'Kai."  
---


	2. Behind the Scenes

Title: Behind the Scenes  
Date Written: 9/3/05  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 100  
Characters: Kou, Doku, Lirin, Yaone (mentioned), Hakkai (mentioned)  
Notes: Inspired by the lj user madamemaya's drabble Poor Hakkai..., in which Yaone hits mercilessly on Hakkai in the fifth episode. Gift drabble for her.  
---  
"Dokugakuji, please listen to me!" Kougaiji begged, his arms tight around his friend's waist. 

"Bull fucking shit! I'm gonna go give Yaone a piece of my mind, and then KILL THAT GREEN-EYED BASTARD," Doku growled out, leaning against Kou's dead weight.

"Hey, hey! He's saying no!" Kou argued.

"Don't stick up for him!"

"Lirin! Get the rope!" Kougaiji cried. Lirin saluted and rushed off. When she returned, the half-siblings wrestled the swordsman into a chair, tying the demon up tight.

Dark eyes stared up at his lord. "I hate you, Kou."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, bite me."  
---


	3. Shouldn't

Title: Shouldn't  
Date Written: 9/12/05  
Word Count: 100  
Rating: T  
Notes: Just my take on inter-species relationship.  
---  
I shouldn't. I know that. 

But I just can't help myself.

His hands, so rough, are delicate whenever he touches me. His pointed ears and demonic blood scare the others, but not me, never me.

He loves me--I can see it in his eyes, feel it in his kisses. I trust this gentle soul, trapped within a demon's body.

I always feel guilty sneaking from his bed... Like I'm ashamed of him.

I wish I was free! Free of my parents and their prejudices. I'd leave with him, if he asked me.

And I'd never, ever look back.  
---


	4. Pride

Title: Pride  
Date Written: 9/12/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters: Gojyo, Jien  
Notes: Because I love writing interaction between the Sha brothers.  
---  
"Taboo child!" 

"Get outta here!"

Gojyo hung his head as the townspeople hurled insults at him, his shoulders curling inwards to make himself as small as possible. He tugged self-consciously at his long hair, wishing he could cut it.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at his half-brother Jien. The sun was glinting off his dark hair, turning it a beautiful sapphire hue, making the boy think of stories he had heard about the ocean.

"Chin up, Gojyo," Jien told him. "You're better than them."

Gojyo raised his chin and proudly walked down the street.  
---


	5. Movie Night

Title: Movie Night  
Date Written: 9/14/05  
Word Count: 100  
Rating: T  
Characters: Hakkai/Gojyo  
Notes: Inspired by my dragging a good friend of mine to my Shakespeare English class. The movie in question is Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet.  
---  
"Hey, Hakkai?" 

"Yes?"

"How long is this movie?"

"Around three hours."

"Gods..."

"Shush."

"... Hey, Hakkai?"

"Hmn?"

"Doesn't that blonde guy--"

"Hamelet, Gojyo."

"--Hamlet, whatever. Anyway, doesn't he, like, have a thing for his mother?"

"A thing?"

"Yeah, like an Oedipus complex or something."

"That's open for interpretation. This version doesn't have the incest element, but others do."

"Oh."

"Why, were you hoping it would?"

"Not really, but three hours is a long movie that doesn't have any nudity."

"JESUS."

"Well it is!"

"Just. Shush."

"... 'Kai?"

"WHAT?"

"Love you."

"I love you too, but you drive me crazy."

"That's the idea."

"... Shush"  
---


	6. First Wife

Title: First Wife  
Date Written: 9/14/05  
Word Count: 100  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Gojyo and Doku's father, Doku's mother, Gojyo's mother  
Notes: Some Chinese cultures/families allowed for husbands to take multiple wives. This is my take on it, since Saiyuki is (supposedly) set in China.  
---  
My husband took another wife today. He can do so, if he wishes; I'm now First Wife, my son shall inherit. 

He married... a human.

How could he? They're lowly, filthy, disgusting--

It's humiliating. I know the town's laughing at me. That bastard hs shamed the whole family by marrying that little human whore.

She's young, pretty too. My claws itch to dig into her skin, tear her apart, drink her blood.

Any open hostility to her, however and that... human-lover... will throw me out.

So I'll embrace her.

For now.

But I'll make her future a living Hell.  
---


	7. Whoops

Title: Whoops  
Date Written: 9/14/05  
Word Count: 100  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Yaone, Kou, Doku, Lirin  
Notes: Inspired by my French class. Be afraid, be very afraid.  
---  
Yaone and Lirin shook their heads as Dokugakuji and Kougaiji spoke with a pretty young woman. They thanked her and retreated to the alleyway where the girls were hiding. 

"Well?" Lirin asked impatiently. "What'd she say?"

"I have no idea," Kougaiji sighed, unclasping the power limiters on his wrist. Ears elongated in the dimness, and he massaged their tips.

"She kept babbling about some 'tour', though," Doku replied, doing likewise.

"Yeah, some 'evil' tour."

"_Tour Eiffel_?" Yaone offered after a pause.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"YOU IDIOTS!" Lirin cried. "We're in France!"

"Explains the stench," Doku muttered.

Yaone smacked him.  
---


	8. Old Poetry Reading

Title: Old Poetry Reading  
Date Written: 9/16/05  
Spoilers: For Gaiden  
Rating: T for swearing  
Characters: Tenpou, Kenren, Konzen, Goku (mentioned)  
---  
"Goku won't settle down," Konzen grumbled. 

I told you giving him cake before bed was a mistake," Kenren replied, smirking.

Konzen crossed his arms. "Watch yourself, _General_."

"Oh, bite me, _paper monkey_."

"Look asshole--"

"Gentlemen!" Tenpou pushed his two friends apart. He waved a leather-bound book at them. "Let me handle this one."

The two other gods huffed, and the Marshal walked into Konzen's bedroom to read to Goku.

Konzen and Kenren pointedly ignored one another while Tenpou was gone; however the brunette was back in scant minutes.

"Poetry," Tenpou grinned at his friends' shocked faces. "Works every time"  
---


	9. New Poetry Reading

Title: New Poetry Reading  
Date Written: 9/16/05  
Rating: T for implied yaoi  
Spoilers: None  
Pairings: implied 58, implied 39  
Characters: Gojyo, Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku (mentioned)  
---  
"So the monkey won't sleep, eh?" Gojyo teased Sanzo. "What, you not doing your job, monk?" 

**SMACK.**

Hakkai frowned at the two. "Hey, I just got Goku to sleep. If he wakes up, you two have to deal with him."

"I read poetry to him. Sonnets, actually." He looked at the blonde and the redhead's shocked looks. "What? It always works on him!" he defended, pointing at Gojyo.

"What's wrong, Gojyo, not doing your job?" Sanzo spit at the redhead.

"Pillow talk, babe."

**SMACK.**  
---


	10. Broken Record

Title: Broken Record  
Date Written: 10/15/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Sanzo/Goku  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine, but Minekura, the almighty illustrator of gorgeous sexy men.  
Notes: Set pre-trip, younger Goku. Request for Maddie  
---  
"Sanzo!"

The blonde priest twitched as his young ward called his name for what seemed to be the millionth time today. All day long he had been bothering his keeper:

"Sanzo, I'm hungry!"

"Sanzo, I'm bored!"

"Sanzo, what are you doing?"

The priest wanted to change his name so he wouldn't hear it anymore.

"Sanzoooooooooooo"

"WHAT?" he snapped, his cigarette breaking in half as he clenched his hand into a fist.

Big wet pools of gold looked up at Sanzo, their depths shifting and spinning in a mesmerizing way.

Goku broke into a huge grin. "I love you Sanzo!"

Sanzo sighed and covered his face with a hand.  
---


	11. Opposite Colors

Title: Opposite Colors  
Date Written: 10/15/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Ukoku/Koumyou  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Saiyuki is not mine, but Minekura, the almighty illustrator of gorgeous sexy men.  
Notes: Requested for the lj user ohajiki  
---  
Koumyou Sanzo didn't have to turn around to know who was behind him. He could recognize Ukoku's voice from anywhere. 

"It's enjoyable," Koumyou replied, licking his fingers and running them down a crease, sharpening it. He flew the cream-colored rice-paper fan across the blue sky, watching it. "It's beautiful... Looks almost like a cloud, don't you think?"

"Orange paper would be better," the other Sanzo replied.

"What?"

"Orange and blue are polar opposites. It would make both of them stand out."

Koumyou watched the white paper plane nosedive, and cupped his face in his hands. "How interesting"  
---


	12. Dreaming in Technicolor

Title: Dreaming in Technicolor  
Date Written: 10/19/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Hakkai/Gojyo, Hakkai/Kanan  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Notes: Written for weekly challenge #27: colors  
---  
When Hakkai slept, he dreamed in bright, vivid color. 

Often, only two colors dominated his unconscious night visions; red and green. Sometimes he would dream of Christmas, of bright scarlet bows on a spruce tree. Other times of a sunset at sea, bright burning, flaming red sinking into a blue-green ocean.

More often than these random images, though, were a pair of bright green eyes, so similar to his. Eyes that begged for forgiveness, pleaded with him to move on. And then a pair of red eyes promising security, acceptance, love.

Those dreams Hakkai never remembered in the morning.  
---


	13. Leaving Presents

Title: Leaving Presents  
Date Written: 10/19/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Dokugakuji/Yaone  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Notes: I'm not really a fan of Doku/Yaone... I'm not really a fan of Doku/Kou, either. I'm more a Yaone/Kou girl myself. That being said, I had fun writing this one.  
---  
Yaone's laboratory always made Dokugakuji sneeze. 

Always.

Why, they had no idea. Yaone had made the swordsman sniff every single herb and flower in the lab, to no avail. But whenever they were all mixed up together, he just had the biggest allergic reaction.

Which was probably a good thing. That way Yaone could actually get some work done.

Sha men must be insatiable, the woman thought, rolling her eyes.

She reached across the table and her fingers touched something odd. Looking up, she found a single red rose on her worktable.

She chuckled when she heard a sneeze outside her door.  
---


	14. Plastic Makes it Possible

Title: Plastic Makes it Possible  
Date Written: 11/2/05  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Goku, Gojyo, Hakkai, Sanzo  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
---  
Shove. "Stupid monkey!" 

Shove. "Ero kappa!"

Shove. "Runt!"

Shove. "Jackass!"

"Gods, Gojyo, with that face, how are you going to be able to pick up women like that?"

"Fuck you, Goku!"

Calming. "Now, now."

"Hakkai! Gojyo's totally on my side of the backseat!"

"I am not, monkey!"

Annoyed. "That's it. You're both dead this time."

"C'mon, Sanzo, just put the gun down--"

BANG.

Thud.

Silence.

Shock. "Fucking gods, Sanzo, you shot him! Goku!"

BANG BANG.

Thud.

Silence.

Rustle of fabric.

Silence.

Neutral. "Sanzo?"

Flick. Inhale. "What?"

Slightly strained. "I know those are rubber bullets, but those things really sting up close. They might actually do some harm."

"Tch"  
---


	15. Teddy Bear

Title: Teddy Bear  
Date Written: 11/9/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Hakkai, Gojyo, Goku, Hakuryuu  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
---  
Hakkai smiled as he watched his roommate and student sleeping in the back seat. Normally, the redhead and the brunette would be fighting with one another, but at the moment the monkey was curled up around the kappa, one long lanky arm around the small body. 

Hakuryuu hit a pothole, causing the back seat to jostle. The motion woke up Gojyo, but Goku simply snuggled deeper into the redhead's embrace.

Hakkai chuckled when Gojyo laid his cheek against spiky brown hair.

"What?"

"You are such a teddy bear, 'Jyo."

Gojyo just grinned back.

Why should he tried to dispute the truth?  
---


	16. A Day in the Life

Title: A Day in the Life  
Date Written: 11/12/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Kanan/Gonou  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: Gonou/Hakkai arc  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Just a little something bouncing around in my head.  
---  
Cho Kanan's life was very interesting. 

Sometimes she was a captain of a vessel, the swaying of the boat below her as she watched her crew work in the rigging. Other times, she was a woman of privilege, rebelling against the trappings of society while wearing a corset.

She was rich. She was poor. She was abused, loved, hated, adored.

And then the alarm would go off. The dark-haired man next to her would groan and roll out of bed for coffee after kissing her softly.

The best thing about Cho Kanan's life?

She woke up next to Gonou every day.  
---


	17. Is Not

Title: Is Not  
Date Written: 11/14/05  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Inspired by my beta (love you Kou!). Something to counteract the angst in the above post. Set pre-trip.  
---  
"Hey... Hakkai?" 

"Yes Gojyo?"

"This book you were reading... It's full of smut stories."

"Why, yes. Yes it is."

"Why are you reading porn?"

"It's erotica, not porn."

"Sure, and I read Playboy for the articles."

"Erotica is different than porn, Gojyo. Porn is visual, and just about jacking off. When you read erotica, you get more... involved in the action."

Touch.

Stroke.

"You can feel the touches, hear the sounds... Your pulse races from mere words, they arouse you because your imagination tailors the fantasy to your personal likes. Erotica's more... sensual."

Pause.

"Hey, 'Kai?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you read to me later?"

"Of course"  
---


	18. Food

Title: Food  
Date Written: 11/28/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Goku, Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Just a little something that popped up.  
---  
Technically, Goku didn't need to eat. He was an elemental, not a demon. The dirt of the Earth was what sustained him, not the things that grew in them. 

However, no one knew that due to the copious amount of food he ate and fought over with Gojyo. His other three travel mates just figured that he had managed to live for 500 years without food by the influence of the gods.

The reason Goku ate--and ate with such gusto--was that food had been Sanzo's first present to the boy.

And Goku had adored Sanzo, and trusted him.

So he ate.  
---


	19. Smile

Title: Smile  
Date Written: 11/28/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Hakkai/Gojyo, Sanzo, Goku  
Warnings: None  
Spoilers: None  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Wow, this one jumped me.  
---  
Hakkai's trademark smile said different things to different people. 

To many faceless, nameless people on the way north, it was a buzzed smile that said, _I'm definately taking something to stay calm._

But he had different smiles for different people.

To Goku, Hakkai's smile was gentle and kind, patiently explaining the boy's endless questions.

To Sanzo, the green-eyed man's smile was a mask, akin to the scowl he always wore.

Gojyo hated the empty smile Hakkai showed the world. It was shallow.

But the smile, the one that was reserved for the privacy of their own room, was the most beautiful thing in Gojyo's world.  
---


	20. The Scholar

Title: The Scholar  
Date Written: 11/29/05  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Gonou/Kanan  
Warnings: (tw)incest  
Spoilers: Gonou/Hakkai arc  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Notes: Kanan's POV. I don't know for a fact if Kanan and Gonou are twins (actually, I think they aren't), 05but I always see them as such. If anyone knows for certain, please let me know (and if they aren't, then let's just consider this an AU.  
---  
Sometimes, I feel so powerless. 

Gonou is very much a scholar--his life is his work. He gets so absorbed in his writing he'll skip meals, staying up all night and ignoring everything else in his life.

He's eating across the table from me, reading from a thick tome while taking notes in a notebook. I clear the table, but he doesn't even notice; nor does he comment when I refill his mug with peach brandy. He does look up when I kiss his forehead and smiles at me.

No matter how powerless I feel, though, I still love him.  
---


	21. Thief

Title: Thief  
Date Written: 12/26/05  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Goku, Sanzo, OC  
Spoilers: None  
Notes: Set soon after Sanzo frees Goku, so Goku is still 'young'.  
---  
"Sanzo!" Goku cried, bounding into the priest's office. "Look!" 

"Master Sanzo!" Two priests rushed in, hot on the brunette's heels. "Goku's stealing fruit from the offerings again!"

Sanzo glared at the two priests. "Who said you could come in?"

"But-"

"Get. Out."

The two young men quickly fled the office.

Goku put a pear on the desk at Sanzo's elbow, and the blonde put his pen down. "Goku, for the millionth time, please don't steal the offerings."

Goku shrugged, biting into his own pear. "It's just going to go bad. And it's fun to mess with the others."

Sanzo couldn't hide the proud smirk that crossed his face.  
---


	22. Lover's Quarrel

Title: Lover's Quarrel  
Date Written: 1/2/06  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Gojyo/Hakkai  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Yaoi implications  
Notes: This one cropped up yesterday, but then it started being silly.  
---  
"Hakkai." 

"Yes?"

Gojyo stuck his head out of the bedroom. "Why does the bedroom smell like sex?"

Hakkai smiled behind his book. "We did spend the night in there last night."

"Not what I meant. It smells like YOU, not ME."

"Ah." Hakkai waved his hand. "De minimis."

"De-wha?"

"De minimis. Not important."

Gojyo moved behind Hakkai and wrapped his arms around his lover. "Have you been cheating on me?" he teased.

"I don't know, Gojyo," Hakkai teased back, still reading. "Does your hand count as cheating?"

"Gods, you drive me crazy," Gojyo swore, burying his face into Hakkai's neck.

"I know," the brunette said with a smile, turning the page.  
---


	23. Yeasty

Title: Yeasty  
Date Written: 1/3/06  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Hakkai, Sanzo/Goku (slight)  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Yaoi implications  
Notes: God this one was hard.  
---  
"Goku is like yeast," Hakkai had once told Sanzo. "Right now he's small and uncultured. Given a little time--and the right conditions--and he'll flourish." 

Hakkai had, of course, been right. The young boy had matured and grown mentally (even if he was still short).

The one thing Hakka had neglected to mention was that Goku would become as necessary as yeast in Sanzo's life--not a day would go by that wasn't touched by Goku's influence.

As Goku slept in his arms, Sanzo decided that he didn't mind.  
---


	24. Misinterpretation

Title: Misinterpretation  
Date Written: 1/7/06  
Rating: K+  
Word Count: 100  
Characters/Pairings: Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, Gojyo  
Notes: Because I'm such a dork.  
---  
"I'm hungry!" 

"Gods, monkey, you just ate!"

"Yeah, but that guy was talking about cabbage, which made me think about dumplings."

"Goku, when the word 'cabbage' is used as a verb--you remember what a verb is, right?"

"Yeah. Action."

"Very good. Anyway, the verb 'cabbage' doesn't mean the food--it means to steal."

"Oh."

Long pause.

"Hey... Sanzo."

"What?"

"I'm going to go cabbage some cabbage!"

THWACK!

Whack!

"OUCH!"

"Dude, you hit Hakkai!"

"And what did I do to merit that?"

"You're giving him stupid ideas. He gets enough from the pervert."

"Hey! You asshole!"

"Still hungry... So hungry"  
---


	25. Not Just A Game

Title: Not Just a Game  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/26/06  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Gojyo/Hakkai (UST)  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
---  
"Truth or dare?" 

Hakkai was playing the childish game with his roommate with an adult twist--whenever the person couldn't perform the dare or was lying, they had to drink.

"Truth, Gojyo."

Gojyo, who was rather smashed, leered at Hakkai. "D'you love with me?"

Hakkai felt his heart quicken, but his face showed the fake smile he'd become accustomed to wearing. "Just as a friend."

"Oh, okay."

Hakkai could have sworn that the redhead looked... disappointed?

"Oh, we're almost out of beer! Lemme go get some more."

When Gojyo's back was turned, Hakkai took a long drink from his bottle.  
---


	26. Study Partner

Title: Study Partner  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/26/06  
Rating: T  
Characters: Hakkai/Gojyo  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Implied yaoi  
Notes: Because I can see this scenario happening. Set pre-series   
---  
"Remind me again: Why are we here?" Gojyo complained. 

"I need some books for my class tomorrow," Hakkai replied easily, searching the shelves. "We won't be here long, Gojyo, I promise."

"Good," the redhead shot back. "No smokes, no booze, no girls--this place sucks."

Hakkai rolled his eyes. "Well, there's always the stacks."

"The stacks?"

The brunette nodded, selecting a book. "In the back. Quiet, secluded. Couples go there to make out."

"Can we go back there?"

"If you wish."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? I love the library!"

Hakkai just shook his head, trying not to laugh.  
---


	27. Treasure Chest

Title: Treasure Chest  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/26/05  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Sanzo  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
Notes: Set pre-series.  
---  
He hadn't meant to find it. 

But when he reached under Goku's bed to go chasing his prayer beads and his fingers had brushed against the shoe box, he knew he was powerless to resist taking a peek inside.

It was, for the most part, empty. There were only three things contained inside:

Hakkai's old pair of glasses from when he was another man.

A pack of Gojyo's cigarettes, most likely swiped from his house.

And an orange origami paper airplane.

Sanzo recovered the box and shoved it back under the monkey's bed, feeling oddly guilty for invading Goku's privacy.  
---


	28. Walking Through The Roses

Title: Walking through the Roses  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/26/06  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Sanzo/character of your choice!  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: None  
Notes: I, personally, wrote this with Goku in mind, but the way it came out can also imply either Gojyo or Hakkai   
---  
Loving Sanzo isn't easy. He fights the whole way, always taking the most innocent gesture the wrong way. 

Once I left a rose on his desk. He threw it out the window and told me he wasn't a delicate flower.

Well, of icourse/i he isn't. iNothing/i about Sanzo is delicate. He completely missed the point.

Sanzo is beautiful like a rose. Actually, he's more like a bud: Closed up tight from the world, letting just a few people in to see his true beauty.

But I don't love Sanzo for his beauty alone.

I love him for his thorns, too...  
---


	29. Walls

Title: Walls  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/26/06  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, Gojyo  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: Minor ones for character pasts  
Warnings: None  
Notes: Something I've had on my mind for a while.  
---  
They all had their defenses. 

Hakkai had his fake smile and three silver clasps on one ear that he used to suppress the raging monster he could become.

Gojyo had his woman chasing, his drinking, and his cigarettes to hide the boy afraid of rejection he still was.

Goku had his eating to try to fill the emptiness that lingered from being alone for ages upon ages.

Sanzo had his newspaper, hiding his chakra and himself from everyone else, alone in his own newsprint world.

For some reason, the flimsiest piece of paper was the hardest wall to tear down.  
---


	30. Duty

Title: Duty  
Non Challenge  
Date Written: 1/27/06  
Rating: K+  
Characters: Dokugakuji, Gojyo  
Word Count: 100  
Spoilers: For both their pasts  
Warnings: None   
---  
I should hate him. 

His entire existence is a mark on my parents' characters--a sign of Father's weakness and Mother's inability to keep her husband in her bed.

Father left soon after he turned up on our doorstep, his human grandfather wearing a look of disgust on his face. Maybe he was just too ashamed.

Mother just... went insane. Her mind warped and twisted and she made both our lives a living hell.

Because of my little brother, many of my own friends turned into my enemies, punishing me for my father's sins.

But...

I just can't hate him.  
---


End file.
